Musical instrument accessory



Nov. 5, 1957 K. c. STONE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT ACCESSORY Filed Dec. 26, 1956 5.1. m W w x j 1 0 V y Q E w Km wa uw Q .7w \w United States Patent t3 MUSICAL INSTRUMENT ACCESSORY Kearney C. Stone, Long Beach, Calif.

Application December 26, 1956, Serial No. 630,625

7 Claims. (Cl. 84383) The present invention relates generally to accessories for musical instruments, and more particularly to a ligature or clamp adapted for use in holding a single reed in a desired fixed position on the mouthpiece of such instruments as a clarinet, saxophone and the like.

The primary purpose in devising the present invention is to provide a ligature or clamp for securely positioning the reed of a wind instrument mouthpiece in a manner to permit the adjustment thereof, with assurance that the reed will be maintained in the adjusted position for as long as the player may desire.

Another object of the invention is to supply a ligature of simple mechanical structure that can be fabricated from standard, commercially available materials, will not loosen nor become displaced when subjected to vibration for extended periods of time, and one that not only maintains the reed in the desired position against the face of the mouthpiece, but exerts the desired amount of force thereon when so holding the reed.

Another object of the invention is to supply a ligature by means of which a single reed is not only held against the flat face of the ligature but is maintained in this position with the entire length of the central reed portion being free to vibrate.

Yet another object of the invention is to supply a ligature which so holds a single reed against an instrumental mouthpiece that adjustment of the ligature will control the timbre or overtone structure of the musical tone produced by the vibrating reed.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred form of the ligature, and from the accompanying drawing illustrating same, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the mouthpiece of a single-reed instrument showing the ligature of the present invention mounted thereon;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the ligature mounted on the mouthpiece of a musical instrument shown supporting a single reed against the flat surface thereof;

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the ligature shown in Figure 2, taken on line 3--3 thereof;

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the components comprising the ligature; and

Figure 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the device taken along line 5-5 of Figure 3.

The ligature L, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, is adapted for use in a. mouthpiece M of conventional design of the type embodied in a single-reed instrument such as a clarinet or saxophone. The function of the ligature L is to maintain an elongate reed R in a longitudinally extending position against the flat surface of the mouthpiece M, which mouthpiece is connected by a tubular member 12 to the tubular portion of the musical instrument 14, not shown in detail. The normal position of reed R is shown in Figures 2 and 3 wherein it will be seen to have a flat upwardly disposed surface 16 that is so shaped as to define a narrow, longitudinally extending space 18 between it and the lower face 10 of mouthpiece M. A passage 20 extends throughout the length of mouthpiece M, one end of which passage communicates with tubular member 12. The opposite end of passage 20 terminates in an elongate slot (not shown) as is conventional in mouthpieces of this type. When air is forced through space 18, the high velocity of the air movement reduces the pressure on the flow side of reed R. Due to this reduction in pressure, the reed tends to move upwardly, concurrently narrowing space 18 and reducing the air flow therethrough.

Reed R is fabricated from a resilient material such as cane or the like, and when the air stream is reduced upon constriction of space 18, the resilient reed is forced outwardly toward the position shown in Figure 2. However, due to its initial upward movement toward face 10 of mouthpiece M, the outwardly disposed portion of reed R has acquired a certain amount of energy, which causes it to not only move into the position shown in Figure 2, but to a position therebeyond. Movement of the outer portion of the reed R beyond the position shown in Figure 2 is limited by the resiliency of the cane or other material forming the reed, whereby after the reed is moved outwardly a certain distance, the resiliency thereof will tend to cause it to return to the position shown in Figure 2. As the player continues to blow on the mouthpiece, the fast-moving air stream flowing through space 18 causes repetition of the above-described cycle which lends a throttling action on the steady air stream to convert it into a pulsating stream that contains the fundamental tone and all of the harmonics which the reed is capable of producing when subjected to vibration. This pulsating stream of air is coupled to the cylindrical air column formed in the musical instrument with which the ligature L is used, and the quality and timbre of the musical tone produced by this resonating air column is dependent on the percentage of the length of the reed that is free to vibrate relative to the flat face 10 of mouthpiece M.

The ligature L shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 permits maximum vibration of reed R relative to face 10 and mouthpiece M, for the reed is only forced against face 10 at four pressure points along the sides of the reed, with the entire longitudinal central portion of reed R being free to vibrate at all times.

In detailed structure it will be seen that a band 22 is provided that is tapered to conform to the tapered exterior surface of mouthpiece M (Figure 1). Band 22 partially encircles the mouthpiece, and terminates in two longitudinally extending strips 24 and 24 of identical construction. Two longitudinally spaced raised portions 24a and 24'a are formed on strips 24, 24, which portions serve as pressure-exerting areas when the reed R is urged into contact with face 10 of mouthpiece M:

Two transversely disposed legs 26 and 26 (Figures 3 and 4) are provided that are positioned under strips 24 and 24 and extend across the opening 28 defined between the strips. The end of leg 26 opposite that atfixed to strip 24 develops into a downwardly and inwardly extending hook-shaped end portion 26a. Hook 26a is defined by a short, downwardly extending web 26b, from the lower end of which a lip 26c extends inwardly. Leg 26 is affixed to the underside of strip 24 and extends across opening 28 to terminate in a hook 26'r1 defined by a web 26'!) having a lip 26'c extending inwardly from the lower edge thereof. These two legs are slidably mounted in an elongate eye 30 that is formed in a head portion 32, from which a screw 34 depends downwardly. An arcuate spring 36 is provided in each end of which slots 38 and 40 are formed. A bore 42 is also provided in spring 36 located in substantially the center thereof, through which bore screw 34 passes downwardly when slots 38 and 40 are in engagement with hooks 26a and 26a respectively. The portion of screw 34 projecting downwardly through bore 42 is adapted to be threadedly engaged by a nut 44 preferably formed with a knurled cylindrical portion 46 or other suitable means for grasping and rotating same. When assembled, the components shown in Figure 4 comprise the combination disclosed in Figures 2 and 3. By rotation of nut 44 the reed R can be pressed upwardly against the desired location on the flat face 10 of mouthpiece M to exert the desiredpressure with the assurance that irrespective of the degree of vibration to which the reed is subjected, it will remain in such position indefinitely.

In Figure 3 it will be seen that the lower face of reed R is only engaged by the pressure areas'24a and 24's and that the desired amount of force is exerted on these pressure areas when nut 44 is rotated in the appropriate direction. Upon rotation of nut 44 it tends to move upwardly relative to the head 32, either when the nut presses against the bottom surface of spring 36, or when a nut having a grooved portion 48 as shown in Figures 3 and 4 rotatably engages the bore portion 42. Upward movement of the nut and the central portion of the bowed spring 36 causes the spring to tend to straighten, which can occur only when the hooked leg portions 26a and 26a move outwardly and away from one another. However, outward movement of portions 26a and 26'a only occurs when strips 24 and 24' are urged to move inwardly toward one another. This movement of strips 24 and 24 results in the pressure areas 24a and 24 a being moved upwardly to exert pressure at predetermined positions on the underside of reed R to force the upper reed face into pressure contact with face 10 of mouthpiece M. As mentioned hereinbefore, upward pressure on reed R is only exerted along the longitudinally extending sides thereof whereby the entire length of the central reed portion is free to vibrate although at all times maintained in pressure contact with the mouthpiece.

It is desirable that both the strips 24 and 24' have longitudinally extending recesses Y formed therein, so that as the strips are drawn together the head 32 of screw 34 will not be contacted.

The spring 36 is of resilient construction, and after the nut 44 has moved it upwardly to a more straightened position, it is sufficiently resilient to so frictionally engage the nut that there is no tendency for the nut to unscrew from screw 34 unless the nut is manually turned in a direction to cause it to move downwardly relative to screw 34.

Thus, the reed R is held in a desired position relative to mouthpiece M to permit maximum reed vibration and in such a manner that proper timbre and musical tone 4 produced by the musical instrument due to vibration of the reed is secured.

Although the form of theinvention herein shown and described is fully capable of achieving the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore mentioned, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment thereof and that I do not mean to limit myself to the details of construction herein shown and described other than as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A reed-holding device for the mouthpiece of musical instruments, comprising: two laterally spaced strips; a plurality of pressure-exerting means operatively associated with said strips; a band capable of being removably mounted on said mouthpiece to extend therearound and rigidly aflixed to said strips; two legs rigidly connected to said strips extending outwardly therefrom and disposed substantially normal thereto; a bowed spring affixed to the free end portions of said legs; and manually operable means which when actuated tends to straighten said spring and move said legs in opposing directions, said strips toward one another, and said pressure-exerting means toward said mouthpiece to exert pressure on a reed disposed between said mouthpiece and said pressure-exerting means.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said pressureexerting means are a plurality of raised areas disposed on the surfaces of said strips that are adjacent a reed held in said holding device.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 in which said pressureexerting means are a plurality of raised areas integrally formed with said strips and disposed on the surfaces thereof adjacent a reed held in said holding device.

4. A device as defined in claim 1 in which said legs are provided with protuberances disposed on opposite sides of said mouthpiece, and slots are formed in the ends of said spring, which slots engage said protuberances.

5. A device as defined in claim 4 wherein said manually operable means is a screw supported from said legs, which screw extends through a bore formed in said spring and a nut that threadedly engages said screw below said spring.

6; A device as defined in claim 5 wherein said screw is formed with a head portion through which a bore extends with said legs being disposed in said bore and slidably movable relative to said head portion.

7. A device as defined in claim 6 wherein said protuberances are of hooked configuration, and removably engage said slots formed in said spring.

No references cited. 

